The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-17 to clinch a play-off spot and join their divisional rivals at the top of the AFC North.
It came down to the fourth quarter for the Ravens to clinch the victory, courtesy of Marlon Humphrey’s pick six and a late field goal from Justin Tucker.
Headed to the playoffs energy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iEKWva6L47
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 22, 2024
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes, while his opposite number Russell Wilson threw two.
The result sees the Ravens join the Steelers in the play-offs.
It also brought the Ravens’ losing streak against the Steelers to an end, with Baltimore having lost eight of the past nine meetings between the two sides.
Meanwhile, at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs closed in on the top seed in the AFC with a 27-19 victory over Houston Texans.
Patrick Mahomes, who overcame an ankle problem to start the game, rushed for one touchdown and threw another to Xavier Worthy as the Chiefs improved their record to 14-1 in their bid to win an unprecedented third successive Super Bowl.
Kansas City will clinch the top seed and a bye to the second round of the play-offs if the Buffalo Bills lose on Sunday or if the Chiefs beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
MAHOMES TAKES IT HIMSELF FOR THE TD 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2024
📺: #HOUvsKC on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/soKpySTT8L
Mahomes immediately allayed fears over his health, making the most of a defensive turnover to lead an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive which he finished off himself with a 15-yard run.
The Texans, who have also already booked their post-season berth, ran the Chiefs close as quarterback CJ Stroud threw touchdowns to Dalton Schultz and Tank Dell, who suffered a serious-looking injury in the process.
But the Chiefs defence picked off Stroud twice and held the Texans to just one field goal in the fourth quarter.
